Sunday 3/30 | Pastor Edward MacDonald

Hey man, look at your neighbor and say I I'm glad I know him.

I'm glad I know him today. Amen.

You can return to your seats if you so Amen.

Please hear today. Our service structure is just a

little different this morning because we're going to be

hearing from brother McDonald, Pastor McDonald and doctor,

pastor, doctor, pastor, pastor, doctor Graham, a man here today

as well. And we're glad to have both of

these again, been in prison with us this weekend.

And so we just saw, thought it was fit for them to come this

way. We already knew Brother Mack was

going to be here ministering. And then I found out Brother

Graham was going to stop by too. And I'm just like, you know,

let's do it. And so I've affectionately

called today the Mack Graham Sunday, it's the Mack Graham

Sunday. Amen.

We're honored to have them today.

Rather MacDonald, Pastor McDonald's going to come and

minister the word to us today. I was looking back, I was trying

to remember when our lives really intertwined and their,

their son-in-law is actually my wife's cousin.

And we were, it was in 2018 that we got an invitation to come to

the Heartland camp and do Heartland camp.

And that's probably the main, the main spot where our lives

begin to get intertwined. Really.

We just basically rubbed shoulders there.

Now it's just like a mess. It's a mess.

They call me names and everything.

And so it's like family now. We have been to so many prisons

together across the United States.

I've lost count. And these folks are workers.

They are servants that they, they drive hundreds of thousands

of miles all over the place, sometimes just for the point of

serving, just to serve. And so they're a precious,

precious group, every single one of them.

Just to give you the type, Sister Becky's birthday was

yesterday and she was in prison. That's the type of people they

are. She's like, I don't have to have

a special day. My special day is being with

other people that need the Lord. And so Beck was in there and,

and sister Cheryl, AKA Nana, I know she looks so young, but she

travels all these trips, every single one.

I'm talking about miles and miles on the road.

As long as she has some hard eggs to eat for breakfast in the

morning, she's a happy camper. A matter of fact, she she

brought her little time to egg thing that she used this weekend

and she donated it to me for for a future posterity, I guess.

And then there's Talatha and Cassandra and these two girls

testified yesterday. Oh, I was just back there

bawling like a baby. Amen over them.

And it wasn't because they was doing bad.

They were doing so good. And there are stories just writ

just just totally tore my heart out.

And so we love these folks. They've been kind to us.

Again, they are not minister friends.

They're just family. They're family.

We love and appreciate them. I'm going to ask Pastor McDonald

to come Amen today, greet this congregation and minister the

word Lord. Can we give God a hand of praise

in this house today as He comes? Amen.

Amen. God is so good.

I, my wife, she leaned over to me just before I got up here and

said, remember to thank everybody because I get focused

and I want to go, but I'd like to repeat that phrase.

We're family and, and the gram and Mcgee's and we've been

family for a while and that explains the name calling.

But God is, God has been so good And, and I don't know if I, I

should say I've been, I'm humbled to be here or I'm

humbled to be here. As long as I don't humiliate

myself, we'll be OK. Just just putting it out there.

But God has been so good and, and I've, I, I kind of struggled

on what to say. I, I, I was like, OK, I can get,

I can get something together. We'll pray, we'll fast, we'll,

we'll get it together. And then I heard Brother Graham

was going to be here. And I'm like, oh, great.

But then I thought I started studying.

I thought, it's like, OK, I can say whatever because I'm the

first speaker. They'll remember him and we'll

let him do all the heavy lifting.

Yeah. I can just skate on through.

Yeah. Did I, did I mention that we're

family and we're friends here and we're.

Yeah. God is so good.

But I, I was trying to think of what to say and what to what to

do and, and, and I believe the Lord gave me a little something

and and I like, I like a little something from God.

Jeez. Let's all turn our attention to

John. One if we could all stand.

John 1 and 27 says he it is. This is John referring to Jesus

as he. It is Who who cometh after me is

preferred before me, whose shoe latches I am not worthy to

unloose. I'd like to speak for just a few

moments here this morning on your shoes.

And where are they taking you? Where are they taking you?

Lord Jesus, we thank you for your goodness.

We thank you for your word. We thank you for your presence

that we feel in this place today.

And Lord Jesus, we pray right now, Lord, that you would let

your anointing flow continue to flow in this house today.

Lord Jesus, we love you. We thank you for your goodness

to us. Jesus, Oh Jesus, yes, Lord,

heavenly Father, Oh Jesus name and Jesus name, Amen.

And you may be seated. We're speaking on shoes and I'm

I my favorite person I'm wearing, actually wearing my

favorite style of shoes is, is a black wing tip.

I have brown wing tips. Yes, everything.

I, I, I was reminded yesterday we were, we were in prison and

I'm wearing my Skechers because I've noticed that we go into

prison and the ladies all wear sneakers and it's like there's

wisdom because my feet at the end of the prison, I always put

my feet up because they hurt everybody.

You're on concrete floor all day.

And then I hear Brother Graham say these words.

I would rather look good than be comfortable or something to that

effect. It was, it was close.

It was that was close. And I'm there thinking to

myself, yeah, I remember those days.

I remember those days when I had to have my dress shoes.

I'm going to go into prison. We're going to dress shoes going

to look good. I went to my wife and I met in

at Bible College in the 80s and my my wardrobe consisted of 1

suitcase. One cute suitcase in a small box

that I mailed to myself. That was my entire wardrobe

going to Bible college where all these guys showed up with

trailer loads of suits and shoes to match each one.

And you know now that that wasn't me.

I was and I knew I was going to be that guy.

We showed up on a Friday and my box didn't show up until Monday.

My box had my dress shoes in it, so I went up to the local Kmart.

I'm going to buy some dress shoes.

And then my cheapness kicked in. Why would you buy dress shoes

when your dress shoes are going to be here tomorrow?

What you really need is another pair of sneakers.

So I got a nice white pair of Converse.

I want you to picture this white Converse sneakers.

The carpet is dark brown. The suit I'm wearing is dark

blue. White Converse.

Brand new white Converse sneakers.

You're either really weird or you're making an extreme fashion

statement. You can decide.

I'll, I'll, I'll give you that liberty.

I'll give you that liberty to decide.

They were, I was comfortable. My feet were comfortable.

My feet were comfortable that day.

You know, there are a lot of running people have a lot of

different shoes. The running shoes, the athletic

shoes, the CrossFit shoes, the dress shoes, the church shoes.

See, there's a guy talking about shoes.

Normally it's women talking about shoes.

We went through the closet and counted shoes the other day and

I didn't realize how much into shoes I am.

My my sister Mcgee's cousin bought me a few pairs of shoes.

I've got some really comfortable shoes and some shoes that I only

wear when my feet are feeling really good.

And those you younger folks that don't understand your feet

feeling really good or really bad, your day will come.

Your day will come. When I was, when I was, I worked

at a bakery for, for quite a number of years, 26 years.

Everybody says, oh, that's sweet, you know, and you think

of a guy with an apron and a hat and flour and flour everywhere,

you know, and making bread. And no, we loaded 12 semis a

day. And that was my job.

I walked eight to 10 miles every night.

So the comfort of your feet are very important to me.

It's very important, the comfort of your feet.

John talked about Jesus, his latches of his shoes.

He's not worthy to unloose. Apparently that was important to

John as well. The idea he considered, he

considered. John considered Jesus great, the

Messiah. That I'm not even worthy, not

even worthy. But our shoes can say a lot

about us. There are people that said you

they have to have the nicest, they have to have the best.

They have to. They'll spend thousands on

shoes, on sneakers. Do they still a question, Do

they still have the old canvas Converse?

But they don't cost 15 to $12.00 anymore.

No, no. When I wore them, that's about

how much they cost. And that's what we wore.

And we wore them all summer until they were flat on the

bottom because we were always outside running.

Because. Because the parents were like,

yeah, yeah, go outside, go outside and play.

Go outside and play. Yes, that's that's where we were

all the time. That canvas high top.

We'd wear them all, all the time.

There was a time when my wife and I went into Burlington,

can't remember where we were. We went to a Burlington.

There was a lady there. I think she was wearing high

heels for the first time. I've seen newborn calves with

more grace, like a little baby fawn.

She was trying to walk down the aisle with those with those

heels on. You see a lot of that we're all

blessed with. We're blessed with a lot more

than one pair of shoes. Most of us in here, we can

consider ourselves blessed. And Acts 13 and 25 says, and as

John fulfilled his course, he said, whom think ye that I am am

not he. But behold, there cometh there

cometh one after me whose shoes his feet I am not worthy to one

lose. It's kind of a repeat.

It's kind of a repeat of what just happened in John.

He's repeating it. He's telling, hey, hey, pay

attention here. He John feel that felt he

fulfilled his course they're talking about.

That's what we're talking about Jesus began his ministry in

John's course was fulfilled, but where are our shoes taking us?

David said, I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the

House of the Lord. He wanted his shoes to take him

to the House of the Lord. Be glad to go into the House of

the Lord, be glad to go to church.

Be glad to go and do the things of God, to do the things of God.

Are they taking you down a road that you wish you wouldn't have

gone? Down a road of no turning back?

Are they taking you to a closer walk with God, to walk with him,

to talk with him? Do they take you to an altar

where you can get a hold of God? But how far do you have to go?

Where are you headed? I was thinking the other day of

how blessed we really are. We were in the Philippines a few

years back, people living in pallet houses.

My my introduction to the Philippines was a six lane

highway going into Manila and there was about 8 lanes of

traffic. And I can explain it to you all

day, but until you experience it, we used to have missionaries

come, they've come from the Philippines and they tell us all

about it. And it's like you don't really

get it till you've been there. And there was little kids

running around through the traffic, panhandling, wearing

rags and no shoes, barefooted. And I was watching all this,

really realizing how blessed I am.

You take a moment to think of how blessed you are.

I'm talking. I'm sitting in a church in the

United States talking about extra pairs of shoes.

There's some places where they're just happy to have a

pair of shoes to realize how truly blessed we are, how truly

blessed we are. And Luke 1517, I'm going to go

there in a moment. The young man, his, he had spent

all his inheritance, his walk in life had taken him to spend all

of his inheritance. And I look at this story and I

think to myself, how far gone do you have to be to be talking to

a pig? He's talking and saying in 1517,

he says, when he came to himself, how many higher

servants of my father have bred enough to eat, I have bread

enough to spare, and I perish with hunger.

And as we begin to read this, we see in Luke 15 and 18 that I

will rise and go to my Father and I will say to him, Father, I

have sinned against heaven and before thee, and I'm not worthy

to be called a son. Make me one of that hired

servants. You see, this is his perception.

His perception is I'm going to be a hired servant.

I'll just work for him. I don't have to.

I don't have to be live in the main house even.

I'll just work for him. And then we read on to 20.

And he arose and came to his father.

But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, had

compassion, and ran and fell on his neck, and kissed him.

And his son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against

heaven, and in thy sight, and I'm not more more, no more

worthy to be called thy son. But his father said to his

servants, Bring forth the best robe, bring forth the best

probe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hands, shoes

on his feet, bring forth the fatted calf and kill it.

Let us eat and be merry, for this is my son was dead and is

alive again. He was lost and is found.

And they began to be merry, the perception of what he thought

was to happen and what actually happened.

I'm just so thankful when our perception doesn't match what

actually happened when we come to the presence of God and our

perception doesn't match what actually happened when we walk

in and walk to an altar. Oh Jesus, Jesus.

Now the elder son was in the field, older brothers I have AI

have a few. And he heard music and dancing,

and he called one of the servants and asked what these

things meant. And he said unto him, Thy

brother has come, and thy father hath killed a fatted calf,

because he has received him safe and sound.

And he was angry and would not go in.

Your brother who thought was dead, and they're having a party

because he's alive. And all you can do is gripe

about it. Oh Jesus, I know a few of these

those people too. God help us that we don't become

those people. I'm going to take a

parenthetical break this little break here.

Prison has taught me that. We say that the ground is level

at the foot of the cross. But what happens when they walk

into our church? I'm just preaching like I'm at

home. What happens when they walk into

our Are we still labeled to say the ground is level at the foot

of the cross? You've sinned.

You've done time, you've done you.

Fill in the blank and they walk into the back of our church.

Are we willing to say yes, we're praying?

Yes, we're fasting? Yes, the ground is level at the

foot of the cross. Yes, there is a place for you

Jesus. And he was angry he would not go

in, therefore came to his Father and entreated him.

And he answered and said unto his father, Lo, these many years

do I serve thee neither transgress I at any time thy

commandment. And yet thou never gave me a

kid, and I might make merry with my friends.

But as soon as thy son was come, and hath devoured thy living in

thy with harlots, and hath killed for him the fatted calf,

and he said unto him, Son, thou hast, thou art ever with me, and

all I have is thine. This is the self-righteous Son.

This is the one that can't see beyond himself.

Oh God, don't let me be there. Don't let me be there ever.

And 32 says it was met that I would make merry and be glad.

For thy brother was dead, and is alive again, and was lost and is

found. You have everything that's left.

Let me remind you what you have today.

You have the blessings of God on your life.

Count your blessings. Count your.

You say, well, things aren't going my way.

That's all right. You're blessed.

You're blessed. You're sitting here today.

You're blessed. We can take the road to

bitterness or we can take the road to a grateful heart.

Be grateful. Be thankful for what God has

done in your life. You say, well, I'm just sitting

here in a church. We come to church and Sunday.

Be thankful that you can come and feel the presence of God.

Be thankful that you can come to church and you can hear about a

guy who has more than one pair of shoes.

How crazy is that? It's like only in America, but

you can consider yourself blessed.

Consider yourself blessed that God is moving in your life.

If you'll let him, if you'll let him.

Amen. God is so we all stand to our

feet for just a moment and just lift our hands and begin to

thank Him for our blessings. Thank Him for what He's done in

our lives. Thank Him that we had a place to

sleep. It may not have been the biggest

house in town, but it was a roof over our head.

Our shoes may not cost more than $1000, they may be just

something we picked up, but they brought it brought us here into

the House of God. They brought us into the

presence of God so we can just lift our hands and worship Him

and thank Him for all of His goodness.

When I was lost in all alone your presence was when I found

my home.